I can’t believe we’re in the home stretch of this month long spectacle that is the World Cup. Less than a week remains with just four matches left to be played. Today and tomorrow’s fixtures will reveal who’ll be playing for World Cup glory come Sunday, and who’ll be left fighting for third place scraps (Third-Place bronze medal) on Saturday. So without further ado, let’s delve into these two tasty semifinal fixtures.
France Vs Belgium
FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: Knockout Phase, Semifinals
Saint Petersburg Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Tuesday, 10 July 2018 2:00PM EST FOX
Finally, last Friday we witnessed France at it’s best against a top quality defense. Les Bleus beat Uruguay rather easily 2-0, courtesy of Antoine Griezmann and Raphael Varane goals. Today against Belgium, expect there to be more room to roam for Griezmann, Kylian Mpabbe and company as the Red Devils won’t just bunker in like Los Charruas, but rather push forward themselves. This will make for an exciting open game, similar to that of Belgium’s last match against Brazil. What a match that was, the best of the tournament so far in my opinion. The Belgians pushed forward time and again against the illustrious Selecao, and as such, were well rewarded for their efforts with a 2-1 victory (It should have been by more). With players like Kevin De Bruyne (shooting and passing sniper), Eden Hazard (dribbling fiend), and Romelu Lukaku (attacking brute), the Red Devils possess plenty of offensive firepower of their own. As such, the match will likely be won by the defense that performs the best in transition. When the counter attack is on, how will Belgium, who’s missing starting right back Thomas Meunier, handle the world class pace of Mbappe, amongst others? Argentina couldn’t handle him in transition, and quite frankly Belgium doesn't have much more speed. An aging Vincent Kompany and a gangly Marouane Fellaini could prove to be too slow when tracking back against the young French forwards. Conversely, Les Bleus possess an incredibly young and athletic midfield and defense. Samuel Umtiti, Raphael Varane, Benjamin Pavard, Lucas Hernandez, Paul Pogba, and N’Golo Kante are all between the ages of 22 and 27 years old, and they all have energy and pace to burn. The hiccup for them though, could be mentally, as the young squad might pick up the wrong man in transition. And if that happens, you know De Bruyne or Hazard will pick out the perfect pass to the open man.
LSB Prediction: This match seems to be finely balanced as both squads are loaded with elite talent. Both France and Belgium are in the midst of their so called “golden generations”. However, despite Les Bleus being the betting favorite in the match, as well as from the start back in June, I’m picking Belgium to squeak this semifinal out. France is still a fairly young side, they’ll be primed for Qatar 2022, but today, the Red Devils are the one’s with experience in spades, and leaders littered across the field. For these reasons, I expect Thibaut Courtois to produce another masterpiece between the posts, and the Belgian three-headed monster to strike thrice in the win. 3-2 Belgium
Croatia Vs England
FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: Knockout Phase, Semifinals
Saint Petersburg Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Wednesday, 11 July 2018 2:00PM EST FOX
Tomorrow’s semifinal pits two surprise sides in the South Slavic nation of Croatia and the Brits from England. It’s simply astonishing that during the English era of Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, John Terry, Eric Lampard, and many more, England never reached a semifinal, let alone playing in and/or winning the final. And yet, some how this England squad is the one on the precipice of eternal soccer lore. This success can be heavily attributed to one Harry Kane. At just 24 years of age, Kane is already a world class striker, scoring goals at a clip that rivals Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Robert Lewandowski. In addition, England’s #10 is already the nation’s captain, thus he doesn’t just score goals, he’s also a leader. As for the rest of the squad, essentially everyone plies their trade in the Premier League, which I think has been a benefit to some degree as it pertains to tactical and player to player continuity. Lastly, unlike the this squad’s predecessors, they’ve put that continuity to good use in this tournament. They’ve played as a well organized unit. And as for Kane, he’s actually lived up to, perhaps even exceeding, the hype put upon him in this World Cup, unlike Beckham and Rooney for example.
Meanwhile, the Croats looked like world beaters in the Group Stage, as they took all nine points from three decisive wins. However, the past two matches ended in draws against Denmark and hosts Russia, ultimately advancing via penalties. As in any major tournament, whether it’d be the Word Cup or the EURO's, the eventual champion will scrape by a time or two along the way, and I believe that’s exactly what’s happened here. On paper and in person, this Croatian team looks the part, and should likely kick things back into high gear against England. Led by a group of imposing midfielders such as Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, Ivan Perisic, Mateo Kovacic, and Marcelo Brozovic, the Croats dominate the middle of the park. Modric, Croatia’s controversial captain, has been simply sublime over the first five games of this tournament. He’s dazzled with his decision making, he’s scored a wonder goal against Argentina, he’s won possession back time and again, he’s been clutch when it counted, and so on. Many pundits have raved about his play, but in a manor that has surprised him or her. This shouldn’t be the case. No one should be surprised of the Croat’s footballing excellence, after all, he finished 5th in last year’s Ballon d’Or voting. 5th! Modric ranked only behind Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar Jr., and Gigi Buffon. That’s exceptional, and to that point, if the midfielding maestro is able to take Croatia to the World Cup final, he should stake claim to that coveted golden ball, for he has truly earned it.
LSB Prediction: I have a feeling that this match won’t be as free flowing as France vs Belgium. Rather, it’ll be a bit more cagey. Both sides find themselves in uncharted territory (World Cup Semifinal), and as such, neither side will want to give to much away early. With that said, I foresee this match going into extra time. It’ll be Croatia’s third extra time affair on the bounce, which may mean heavy legs and advantage England. But, my gut says that the Southern Slavs will strike in the second stanza of extra time courtesy of Modric, and that'll be enough to see Croatia through to the final. 2-1 ET Croatia